Q1. [4]
Iron Ore
Iron ore is the basic mineral and the backbone of industrial development. India is endowed with fairly abundant resources of iron ore. India is rich in good quality iron ores. Magnetite is the finest iron ore with a very high content of iron up to 70 per cent. It has excellent magnetic qualities, especially valuable in the electrical industry. Hematite ore is the most important industrial iron ore in terms of the quantity used, but has a slightly lower iron content than magnetite (50 – 60 per cent). In 2018 – 19, almost the entire production of iron ore (97%) accrued from Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Jharkhand. The remaining production (3%) was from other states.
Read the given source and answer the questions that follow:
- 35.1 In which iron ore is the maximum iron content found? [1]
- 35.2 Which is the most important industrial iron ore? [1]
- 35.3 "Iron ore is a basic mineral." Support the statement. [2]
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2025 32/3/1 Q35
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:02 · grounding stimulus
Model Answer
35.1 Magnetite is the iron ore with the maximum iron content — up to 70 per cent.
35.2 Hematite is the most important industrial iron ore in terms of the quantity used.
35.3 Iron ore is called a basic mineral because it is the backbone of industrial development. Industries such as iron and steel depend entirely on it as a raw material. India is endowed with fairly abundant resources of good quality iron ores like magnetite and hematite. Without iron ore, large-scale industrial and infrastructural development would not be possible, making it fundamental to a nation's economic growth.
Source: Minerals and Energy Resources, Iron Ore
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Explanation
- 35.1 is a direct one-line fact from the passage — just name the ore and state the percentage.
- 35.2 Again, a direct recall — "most important industrial iron ore" is explicitly stated for Hematite.
- 35.3 Examiners expect you to quote the passage's phrase "backbone of industrial development" and expand briefly with 2–3 supporting points (dependence of industries, India's resource richness, importance for infrastructure). Do not go beyond 4–5 sentences for a 2-mark answer.
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